Consulting services for the development of teaching and learning materials (TLM) for the first cycle of study at the level of upper secondary education (10th grade)

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES - FIRMS SELECTION)

Country: Ukraine

Name of Project: Lifting Education Access and Resilience in Times of Need in Ukraine Program

Grant No.: TF0C5794

Assignment Title: Consulting services for the development of teaching and learning materials (TLM) for the first cycle of study at the level of upper secondary education (10th grade)

Reference No . (as per Procurement Plan): LEARN-1.1-TLM 10

The objectives of the LEARN are: to (i) improve teaching and learning conditions; and (ii) to strengthen the management capacity of the education system.

The total financing for the Operation is US$451 million using a combination of the World Bank's financial instruments: Program-for-Results (PforR) complemented by Investment Project Financing (IPF).

The MoES intends to apply part of the grant proceeds to eligible payments for consulting services for which this Request for Expressions of Interest has been issued.

The consulting services (hereinafter – the Services) include:

• developing teaching and learning materials (hereinafter referred to as “TLM”) for the first cycle/year of upper secondary education (Grade 10);

• upgrading the MoES digital repository for TLM storage and use by expanding the repository’s capacity, as well as updating the User Manual for the repository;

• developing, publishing, and disseminating hard copies of the Manuals on TLM;

• conducting training for TLM users; and

• organizing a final event for dissemination of the results.

The expected period for the Consultant’s provision of the Services is approximately 12 calendar months from the date of contract signing.

The required objective of the Services must be achieved by the Consultant within the agreed program and in accordance with the Ukrainian legislation, the World Bank’s policies and rules and requirements of the Terms of Reference (TOR), which is attached.

Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (hereinafter – Client/MOES) now invites eligible consulting firms (hereinafter – Consultants) to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services.

The evaluation of the expressions of interest provided by the Consultants will be carried out based on the following criteria:

Legal status and market experience

• The Consultant shall be a legally established entity eligible to provide consulting services in accordance with applicable laws. Consultants may associate with other firms in the form of a joint venture (JV) or sub-consultancy to enhance their qualifications. In case of a JV, all partners shall be jointly and severally liable for the contract. In the case of foreign company, the representative office/JV/consortium with local firm should exist by the date of Contract signing.

• At least 5 years of experience in the provision of consulting services relevant to this assignment, such as education sector programs, development of teaching and learning materials, curriculum design, teacher training, and/or digital education solutions

• The company's core business is software and web solutions development

Experience in digital education

• The company has a proven track record of implementing digital educational solutions

• At least 3 major educational or content digital products were implemented

• The products contained the following modules and functionality:

• adaptive search

• dynamic filters

• designers of training programs

• analytical panels

• interfaces for administration

• evaluation and feedback functionality.

• Proven experience in modern web technologies, in particular:

• PHP (Laravel)

• JavaScript (Vue.js / React)

• MySQL, Redis

• Elasticsearch

• Docker

• REST API

• WebSocket

• Experience in implementation:

• integrations with government services via API;

• creation of analytics modules;

• development of authorization and data protection.

Cooperation with international organizations

• The company has experience of participating in projects implemented with the support of the World Bank or other international institutions.

Financial stability

• The amount of confirmed turnover for the last two years is at least $100,000

• Financial statements:

• Tax returns

• Balance sheet

• Certificates of completion.

Confirmation of qualification. A Consultant shall provide:

• Portfolio of completed projects

• Letters of recommendation (if any)

• List of pre-identified experts accompanied with CVs of key team members

Availability of qualified specialists . The company must confirm the availability of at least 7 specialists having permanent/long-term contracts (the term of which exceeds 12 months):

• Project manager – is responsible for planning, timing, and coordination.

• UI/UX designer – responsible for the logic of interfaces and usability.

• Back-end developer – implements server logic (Laravel, PHP, MySQL).

• Front-end developer – provides interactivity of the interface (Vue.js, React).

• DevOps specialist – responsible for deployment, continuous integration, and stability.

• Tester (QA ) – provides quality assurance and automated testing.

• Content manager or technical writer – forms the structure of the platform, content, and documentation.

Key Experts will not be evaluated at the shortlisting stage.

The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs, 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s «Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers» September 2023 with amendments of February 2025 (hereinafter – Procurement Regulations), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.

Consultants may associate with other firms to enhance their qualifications, but should indicate clearly whether the association is in the form of a joint venture and/or a sub-consultancy. In the case of a joint venture, all the partners in the joint venture shall be jointly and severally liable for the entire contract, if selected. In the case of foreign company, the representative office/JV/consortium with local firm should exist by the date of the Contract signing.

A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the “Quality and Cost Based Selection” arrangements described in the Procurement Regulations and to be specifically set out in the Request for Proposals.

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form, in Ukrainian or English, to the address below by e-mail by June 25, 2026, 1:00 pm local time .

Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine

Attn: Yevhen Kudriavets - Project Coordinator

E-mail: CC: ,

Expressions of interest to be clearly marked: « LEARN-1.1-TLM10: Expression of Interest » .

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Consulting services

for the development of teaching and learning materials (TLM)

for the first cycle of study at the level of upper secondary education

(10th grade)

Contract LEARN-1.1-TLM10

World Bank Project ID No.: P504171 , Grant Number: TF0C5794

List of abbreviations

AUSO All Ukrainian School Online

GLO Group of learning outcomes

SSPUSE State Standard of Profiled Upper-Secondary Education

SSBSE State Standard of Basic Secondary Education

LEARN The Program "Lifting Education Access and Resilience in Times of Need in

Ukraine Program"

MoES Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine

NIO NUS Implementation Office

NUS The New Ukrainian School

PDF Portable Document Format

SSEQ State Service of Education Quality

TLM Teaching and Learning Materials

UCEQA Ukrainian Center for Education Quality Assessment

UIRO Ukrainian Institute of Education Development

Word Microsoft Word document format

Table of Contents

I. CONTEXT 4

II. OBJECTIVES 5

III. SCOPE OF SERVICES 7

Component 1. Creation of TLMs for educational sectors by expert groups 7

Component 2: Upgrading digital repository for TLMs 9

Component 3: Publishing and dissemination of the Manuals on TLMs 9

Component 4: Capacity building for Pilot participants 1 1

Component 5: Organization of the final event – presentation of project results 1 2

Terms and requirements for implementation 1 3

IV. DELIVERABLES 17

V. REQUIREMENTS 18

Consultant 19

Personnel 2 0

Implementation mechanism 2 1

I. CONTEXT

Ukraine and the World Bank have signed the agreements for the Program "Lifting Education Access and Resilience in Times of Need in Ukraine Program" (hereinafter referred to as the LEARN).

The objectives of the LEARN are: to (i) improve teaching and learning conditions; and (ii) to strengthen the management capacity of the education system.

The total financing for the Operation is US$451 million using a combination of the World Bank's financial instruments: Program-for-Results (PforR) complemented by Investment Project Financing (IPF).

The Program-for-Results (PforR) is funded by a US$235 million credit provided by Bank resources, supported by credit enhancement from the Advancing Needed Credit Enhancement for Ukraine (ADVANCE Ukraine) Trust Fund, which is backed by the Government of Japan. This is formalized under the Financing Agreement between Ukraine and the International Development Association for the Program (CREDIT NUMBER 7626-UA). An additional US$150 million is provided under the Special Program for Ukraine and Moldova Recovery (SPUR) of the International Development Association (IDA) Crisis Facility, as outlined in the Loan Agreement between Ukraine and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development for the Program (LOAN NUMBER 9721-UA). Financing Agreement (Additional Financing: Lifting Education Access and Resilience in Times of Need in Ukraine Program) between Ukraine and the International Development Association (CREDIT NUMBER 7905-UA) was signed in the amount of US$4.9 million.

Furthermore, US$30 million in Investment Project Financing (IPF) is secured under the Grant Agreement between Ukraine and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Development Association, acting as the administrator of the Ukraine Relief, Recovery, Reconstruction, and Reform Multi-Donor Trust Fund (URTF GRANT NUMBER TF0C5794).

Furthermore, US$31.1 million in Additional Financing is provided through grant resources, consisting of US$30.0 million from the Ukraine Relief, Recovery, Reconstruction, and Reform Multi-Donor Trust Fund and US$1.1 million from the Global Partnership for Education Fund. This additional financing is formalized under the Grant Agreement between Ukraine and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Development Association, jointly acting as a Supervising Entity for the Global Partnership for Education Fund and as administrator of the Ukraine Relief, Recovery, Reconstruction, and Reform Multi-Donor Trust Fund (URTF GRANT NUMBER TF0D0612; GPE GRANT NUMBER TF0D0613), and supports activities related to the continued implementation of the Program.

Hereinafter, the portion of the Operation financed through the PforR is referred to as the Program and the portion financed through the IPF is referred to as the Project.

The Project complements the LEARN by supporting the piloting of the NUS reform in grades 8 to 12 and strengthening the MoES’ capacity for education system management.

The Project will provide technical support to pilot the NUS reform in selected schools for grades 8 to 12, through: (i) developing, printing, delivering, and testing teaching and learning materials for the NUS Pilot; (ii) developing and carrying out training programs to teachers, school principals, and their deputies; (iii) providing technical assistance to design a fit-for-purpose instrument for measuring teacher classroom practices and to implement said instrument in a sample of classrooms in grades 8 and 9; and (iv) providing STEM, ICT, and other required equipment aligned with the NUS standards to schools in the NUS Pilot at the basic and upper-secondary education levels for grades 8 to 12.

Importantly, the IPF will also strengthen the management capacity of the MoES to manage, monitor, and evaluate the rollout of the NUS reform through: (i) providing technical assistance to the MoES’ units responsible for NUS implementation; (ii) strengthening the Ukrainian Institute of Education Development (“UIRO”) capacity; (iii) creating a Special Online Platform (“SOP”) for State Final Examination (“DPA”); (iv) modernizing the education management information system (“AIKOM”); (v) improving the education infrastructure planning.

Scope and impact

With a funding commitment of $419,9 million and a timeline extending to 2027, LEARN represents a transformative effort to ensure every child in Ukraine has access to safe, high-quality education. The initiative not only addresses immediate challenges posed by the conflict but also lays the groundwork for a resilient and future-ready education system.

The Consultant’s role in this program is critical, as they will design and implement robust frameworks and strategies to meet the evolving demands of Ukraine’s education system. These efforts will contribute to long-term educational recovery, resilience, and equity, ensuring that Ukrainian students are prepared for the challenges of a globalized, knowledge-driven world.

II. OBJECTIVES

The Assignment for the Consultant is:

• to develop teaching and learning materials (hereinafter - TLM) for the first cycle/ year of upper secondary education (grade 10);

• to upgrade the digital repository of MoES for TLM storage and usage to extend the repository’s capacity, as well as to update the User Manual for the repository;

• to develop, publish and disseminate the hard copies of Manuals on TLMs;

• to implement training for users of the TLM;

• to organize a final event for dissemination of the results.

TLM for each educational domain should consist of a study program, model sets of tasks, model projects, and corresponding compensatory learning course of at least 24 learning hours to be introduced/ implemented as an additional/ compensatory instrument for overcoming the learning gaps apart from/ concurrently with the textbooks for 10th grade participating in approbation in the pilot liceums. The compensatory learning course should be a set of additional multilevel competence-based assessment/ learning tasks aimed at the support/ equalizing students with different personal and social backgrounds, educational needs, learning experiences/ achievements.

This activity focuses on the development of TLM for all educational areas to equip teachers of schools participating in the piloting the State Standard of Profiled Upper-Secondary Education (SSPUSE)" (hereinafter – pilot schools) with the materials for:

• assessing students’ achievements accordingly to learning outcomes

• identifying and compensating learning losses

• filling out identified learning gaps

• equalizing students achievements

• justifying students’ choice of their own learning trajectories/ profile.

These materials will be used by teachers of the pilot schools directly in the educational process to assess/ achieve expected learning outcomes, and/or serve as models for the development of similar tasks by teachers and authors of curricula/manuals/textbooks, ensuring a unified approach to assessing students’ learning achievement as well as comprehensive strategies for coping with educational losses.

Main tasks:

• Development of TLMs (Component 1).

The Consultant will create materials that contain study programs, sets of model tasks , model projects, compensatory learning courses for all 10 educational domains, aimed at assessing the mandatory learning outcomes defined by the SSBSE/ SSPUSE. These materials will be used directly in the educational process by pilot schools, will serve as examples for teachers and authors of educational content, and will contribute to a unified approach to assessment. The developed materials will also be adapted for use with Ukrainian students abroad and in temporarily occupied/de-occupied territories, supporting the recognition of learning outcomes for students with limited or disrupted access to Ukrainian education.

• Upgrading a digital repository of TLMs (Component 2).

A digital repository preliminary developed as a storage for TLMs under the Project Consulting services for the development of teaching and learning materials (TLM) for the final year of study at the level of basic secondary education (9th grade) and owned by an agency appointed by MoES will be upgraded to storage TLMs developed under Component 1 of this Assignment, and the User Manual for repository will be updated. The repository will support efficient storing, search, filtering, classification, and retrieval of tasks developed within Component 1 aligned with specific learning outcomes. This platform will ensure open access to the materials for educators, curricula/ materials’ developers, and other stakeholders. The main idea of the repository is to create collections of materials that are “linked” to the learning outcomes, which will allow users to select the necessary materials for various purposes, including students’ assessment.

• Developing, p ubli shing and dissemination of the Manuals on TLMs (Component 3).

Manuals on TLM will be developed (written), provided with editing and graphic design and published as hard copies to explain the purpose and structure of TLMs. Following review and approval according to the national regulations, these publications will be distributed to pilot schools for direct use and to support the development of similar resources by teachers and content developers. The dissemination of the manuals for pilot schools is expected to be done in digital format. Consultant is responsible for arranging the most effective way of editing and delivery of the product. For those purposes, both individuals and companies could be outsourced if needed.

• Capacity-building for pilot participants (Component 4).

The Consultant will deliver 1 general (introductory) and 10 domain-specific professional development courses (0,5 ECTS credit each) for teachers working with 10th grades in pilot schools and other relevant stakeholders (i.e. school principals/ deputy principals,trainers, teacher-trainers) – all teachers from pilot schools are expected to be covered during the assignment. This training will focus on the use of the developed TLMs, including how to apply the tools and tasks to assess student learning achievements effectively and to respond to the results of this assessment.

• Dissemination and stakeholder engagement (Component 5).

To promote the wider use and impact of the developed materials, the Consultant will organize a final presentation event. This event will present the project deliverables, raise awareness among broader stakeholders, and outline strategies for the scale-up and continued use of the materials, including potential replication by educational content developers.

The Assignment should be implemented during the 12 months since a date of contract signing.

The assignment will adhere to the policies and regulations set forth by Ukrainian legislation and the World Bank, ensuring that it is practical, adaptable, and responsive to both immediate and long-term needs. These efforts are aimed at positioning Ukraine’s education system as a model of sustainability, inclusiveness, and excellence that enables students to thrive in a globalized world. The TLM will be developed in line with the academic integrity principles and compliance with the intellectual property rights. The Consultant should provide the Quality Assurance Plan at the inception stage and should report on its implementation as part of the Phase 1-4 reports on deliverables.

III. SCOPE OF SERVICES

The selected consultant will be responsible for the completion of the following components to assure the development and implementation of TLMs for 10 educational domains:

(i) language and literature; (ii) foreign languages; (iii) civic and historical; (iv) maths; (v) science; (vi) technology; (vii) art; (viii) social and health; (ix) IT; (x) physical education. Each task must be performed with accuracy, professionalism, and in accordance with the outlined goals and requirements.

Component 1. Creation of TLMs for educational domains by expert groups

The Consultant will create 10 expert groups (the final list of experts is to be approved by the Client and NIO) and coordinate the development of TLMs for 10 educational domains. TLMs will be used by the pilot schools in the educational process apart from the draft textbooks introduced for approbation accordingly to the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated 26 August 2025 No. 1058 “On the implementation of the experimental project on the introduction in general secondary education institutions of educational programmes developed on the basis of the Typical Educational Programme for grades 10–12 of general secondary education institutions providing profile secondary education of the academic orientation”.

These materials will also serve as a model for creating high-quality tasks (including competency-based tasks) for developers of educational materials and teachers.

The TLM (for each specific educational domain) are model tools that contain study program, model sets of tasks, model projects and compensatory learning tasks for conducting diagnostic and summative assessments by GLO, and following compensatory/equalizing interventions and accompanying explanations and recommendations that provide clear guidance for users on how to use tasks/tools to assess student achievement.

The KPI for TLM development is presented in Annex 1.

A study program is a document that defines the sequence of achieving expected learning outcomes and describes the relevant content and educational activities for using model sets of tasks and model projects, as well as ompensatory learning tasks (24 hours of instruction). A study program should be designed for two semesters, with hours of instruction rationally divided between them. The structure of study programme must comply with the requirements of the typical educational programme for grades 10-12 of general secondary education institutions that provide profile secondary education with an academic track (https://mon.gov.ua/npa/pro-zatverdzhennia-typovoi-osvitnoi-prohramy-dlia-10-12-klasiv-zakladiv-zahalnoi-serednoi-osvity-iaki-zabezpechuiut-zdobuttia-profilnoi-serednoi-osvity-za-akademichnym-spriamuvanniam).

A model set of tasks is a set of tasks organized in accordance with the specification developed for a particular assessment and created in accordance with the requirements for model tasks.

The minimum number of model sets of tasks in the model tools repository is 3 per educational domain, including the mandatory ones:

• diagnostic work (input) – the beginning of the first semester

• summative semester work (I semester)

• summative semester work (II semester)

Depending on the specifics of the educational domain and the GLO of the respective domain, the number of model sets can be increased (but not reduced) to provide a holistic representation of assessment opportunities for all GLO defined by the SSBSE/ SSPUSE for a particular domain.

Each model set of tasks should contain a sufficient number of individual tasks to conduct an objective assessment in accordance with the requirements of the SSBSE/ SSPUSE for the relevant period of study.

The number of tasks in the diagnostic work should be calculated proceeding from at least 2 academic hours of assessment. When creating tasks for diagnostic work, use the assessment guidelines defined for the 9th grade SSBSE, which remain relevant for the SSPUSE in accordance with the progress recorded at the link https://educationforlife.mon.gov.ua/interaktyvnyi-postup/?cycle%5B%5D=7-9&cycle%5B%5D=10-12. Tasks for 10th grade cannot duplicate tasks developed within the TLM for 9th grade.

The number of tasks in the final semester work should be calculated proceeding from at least 1 academic hour of testing for each group of results specified in the certificate of achievement for the relevant educational domain: (i) language and literature — 4; (ii) foreign languages — 4; (iii) civic and historical — 3; (iv) maths — 3; (v) science — 3; (vi) technology — 3; (vii) art — 3; (viii) social and health — 4; (ix) IT — 4; (x) physical education — 3.

The maximum number of tasks in a particular set depends on several factors: 1) the specifics of the subject-specific learning outcomes; 2) the availability and length of the stimulus materials (reading texts, instructions, etc.) needed to complete the tasks; 3) the type and nature of the tasks.

A set of tasks for educational fields where performance tasks are relevant, such as language and literature — listening & speaking; foreign languages — listening & speaking; science — conducting experiments; technology — product manufacturing; art — product manufacturing, performance; physical education — physical exercise, may contain fewer tasks if the set includes a performance task, compared to task sets for other fields.

The tasks may relate to stimulus materials (reading texts, situation descriptions, instructions for completion). The time required to work through the relevant materials should be taken into account when determining the maximum possible number of tasks for the estimated time of the set. The stimulus material should be necessary for the completion of the tasks and correspond in volume to the task set. When calculating the time required to work through the stimulus material, a guideline is up to 150 words per minute of text material.

When calculating the number of tasks for a set, it is necessary to proceed from the following average time limits for completing different types and kinds of tasks (depending on the length of the instructions and stimulus material):

• closed-ended items with one correct answer out of 2-3 options — on average up to 30 seconds;

• closed-ended items with one correct answer out of 4-5 options — up to 1 minute;

• items requiring matching (logical pairs) or chronological or logical sequencing — up to 1 minute per match;

• open-ended questions requiring a short answer (a few words, a numerical designation, a formula) — up to 2 minutes;

• open-ended questions requiring a short answer (a few words, a numerical designation, a formula) that involve solving a problem — up to 4 minutes;

• open-ended questions requiring a short detailed answer (justification of up to one paragraph, solution to a problem, graphical representation, etc.) — up to 5 minutes;

• open-ended tasks requiring a detailed answer (short essay, detailed justification) — up to 15 minutes;

• tasks requiring the presentation of a product — up to 15 minutes;

• tasks requiring the implementation of a process — up to 20 minutes.

Examples for calculating the number of tasks for a given time can be found in the external independent assessment test forms available at https://testportal.gov.ua/ofzvit/, as well as competency-based tasks available at https://nus-tasks.net/.

A model set of tasks specification is a description of a set of tasks that gives a complete picture of the specifics of the assessment and the determination of results based on it. The specification should contain information about the following:

• Educational domain for which the task is intended to assess learning outcomes

• Grade (10th grade)

• Semester

• Type of assessment (diagnostic input, diagnostic output, summative (intermediate) thematic, summative semester, etc.)

• Evaluation objective

• Evaluation period (time)

• The number of tasks in a model set by task type

• Time to complete all tasks (at least 1 academic hour, but no more than 4 academic hours)

• Benchmarks for evaluation covered by a model set

• Mandatory outcomes covered by a model set

• General results covered by a model set

• Group(s) of results covered by a model set

• The average difficulty (statistical) of the tasks in a model set (as the predicted or known percentage of success in completing the task by students of the corresponding category)

• The maximum number of points for completing all the tasks in a model set

• A description of the scheme for awarding points for completing the tasks of a model set

• Description of the criteria for evaluating a model set

• The level with which the result of a model set of tasks is correlated, following general/subject-specific assessment criteria (levels of beginner/intermediate/sufficient/high)

• Instructions for completing a model set

• Other characteristics (if necessary).

A model project is a long-term project (at least one week) developed and described in detail within the educational domain, the results of which can be used for summative assessment (interim (thematic), semester, or annual).

The minimum number of model projects is 2: 1 for basic level and 1 for an advanced level of learning outcomes for each educational domain. Projects should differ by subjects of completion (individual, pair, microgroup, group) and by the modality of the leading activity with the intention to clearly express the potential of project activity in the educational process for different educational domains.

The model project plan is a comprehensive description of the project that provides a detailed overview of its organization, implementation, evaluation, and outcome. The plan should contain information on the following:

• Educational domain for which the project is intended to assess learning outcomes (in English);

• Grade (10th grade)

• Semester

• Type of assessment (summative intermediate, summative semester, etc.)

• Project goal

• Period of the project (time)

• Project duration

• Subject of project implementation – individual, pair, micro group, group

• Roles in the project

• Resources needed to implement the project

• Activities in the pr